What Happened????!

I looked up & the year has ended! Things are going so fast around here, but it's a good feeling to have. Christmas passed by a week ago & the new year is knocking at the door. I've been decorating for Christmas while simultaneously unpacking boxes, shooting & editing for clients, and trying to squeeze in some down time to enjoy playing with my own photos. The weather was near the 80's, then the day before Christmas it plummeted for a few days reaching 27 before jumping back up to the mid-70's now & for the rest of the week. If you don't know much about Houston, you can be sure of one thing...whatever you figure out today will change tomorrow. We managed to get a tree up and more. David & I baked our annual mother-son cookies, only to find one large platter-full suddenly empty the next day thanks to a very fat dog. Even our new kitchen counters can't stop a hungry counter thief! I am finishing final touches on the C family photos (not my C family), getting ready for a sweet new baby (and addition to our extended family) to come to the house for a shoot tomorrow, and another little guy who joined our extended family two months ago will arrive to get photographed this weekend.

For now, here are a few from my little neck of the woods...enjoy & Please leave a comment if you can! I love comments!

Nothing much to say...but take a look.

Blogging is fun when I want to share a thought, spread the word about something going on, or some treasure I find. I like to post pictures to keep my family, friends, and anyone interested up to date, and occasionally I get the opportunity to be as close to profound as I can ever hope to get (which is not saying much). This is not one of the latter mentioned moments. Let's just call it an update on D2 and his latest daily joys.

Deal With It...if you can.

Last Sunday night was the annual World Wide Candle Lighting in memory of all children who have passed, regardless of age. For those parents left behind, even the grandparents and siblings of those who pass, dealing with certain times of the year has more than the usual amount of challenge. For some every day is as difficult as the last. It's not the same for anyone. Not one single person shares the exact same set of emotions or reactions as another. Each person's grief is as unique as the relationship that person held with the one who passed. My husband & I have been participating in the candle lighting event with Compassionate Friends sine 1999. My drama students host the local participation in this 24 hour wave of light by performing songs, poems, prose, and dance pieces that provide support, comforting and understanding. The message balloons we release, the candles we light, the food we eat is all done for our children we miss. Honoring their memory becomes a priority. I've been doing this long enough that I've had a student who was once a teenage presenter in the event now come as a bereaved parent. Grief is something that must be dealt with. It needs to be tamed...or it will become the shrew.